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E is for ElfSports (Mono Green Elves)

Modern

JonnyEsports


Sideboard


Maybeboard

Enchantment (1)

Land (2)


Bringing in the new Elvish Clancaller to create a lord heavy mono green elf list. This list is a little more budget friendly but adding Cavern of Souls would be a decent, albeit expensive, addition (but, of course, you don't need it for the mana fixing, it just helps versus control - a matchup you're already good against). You can go even more budget by going down Collected Company and Chord of Callings and going +3 Lead the Stampede +4 Elvish Champion (although, in paper, Elvish Champion is actually kind of expensive and you might want to go Collected Company anyway - on MTGO Elvish Champion is pretty cheap)

Why Mono Green vs GB/GBW Elves

I built mono green for the reason you're probably considering building mono green and that is budget. Cavern of Souls is expensive (although like I said in the intro, it still has a place in this deck if you want to include it). Not having shocks or fast lands either makes the deck pretty inexpensive. Chord of Calling & Collected Company are the most expensive cards.

After playing with Mono Green for a while with the thought of upgrading later - I've actually come to really enjoy this build specifically and will probably stick to it. It's super easy to keep one land hands and you're never colour screwed. Also, not shocking yourself comes in handy when against other fast decks and Blood Moon is a dead card for your opponent (it's kind of funny when an opponent sideboard's it in assuming you're GB, which happens sometimes when say you only played one forest game 1 but had enough lords to do things). Mana screw is the worst part of Magic and you get to skip a lot of those feelbads by going mono green (unless you keep a one land hand and then they bolt your one mana dork). However, there are good reasons to go GB/GBW and, admittedly, it probably is overall better so I'll go over why you might want to spend the extra money.

So the main deck difference is Shaman of the Pack vs Imperious Perfect. Shaman of the Pack is probably overall better in most situations when you're ahead. Admittedly, Imperious Perfect is among the worst cards in the main deck (which is why it's sideboarded out most often). However, Imperious Perfect is slightly better when playing from behind and needing to rebuild and a better turn 2 play before you have other elves. Shaman of the Pack (might) be a win-more card though so really you can decide if it's worth spending quite a bit more on the mana base

The main argument for why GB/GBW is probably overall better is the sideboard. Thoughtseize and Selfless Spirit really help with the worst matchups. So if you want to spend the extra money on the mana base and those cards to make it worth it - go for it and I don't think you'd regret it. Those cards are good in other decks too so if you want to move on from Elves you can use them for other things and aren't a bad investment.

Personally, I really like this build and will probably stubbornly stick to it. Roughly tripling the cost of the deck seems like a bad investment (although, like I said before, the cards you'd be getting are good in other decks). The small percentage of game wins you'd get with the GB version just doesn't match the cost for me and there are some games you'd win because you're playing the mono green version. So you can decide which way you go in the long run but, at least, this build is a good place to start even if your idea is to upgrade to the GB version later.

Gameplay Notes

Make sure your opening hand has either a Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, or a Heritage Druid with a way to abuse it on turn 2 (some way to have 3 elves on board for turn 2). You're running so many lords and ways to get them, trust you'll draw into them.

Ezuri is a big win-condition. Play it with protection against a deck that has ways to remove it. Try to convince control to counter other things before Ezuri.

Gameplay is pretty simple, play stuff and attack. Be prepared to do a lot of math. Collected Company and Chord of Calling can really throw off your opponent's lethal calculation. Leaving up mana gives you bluffing power.

Matchup Notes

  • Humans - It's a pretty even matchup but you get hosed pretty bad by Meddling Mage & Reflector Mage. Sideboard +3 Dismember -2 Imperious Perfect -1 Reclamation Sage

  • Mardu Pyromancer - Pretty rough match-up. Getting your stuff thoughtseized/inquisitioned turn 1 sucks. Getting your stuff removed with your opponent getting elementals is bad. Sideboard in +2 Shapers' Sanctuary & + 2 Dismember. -3 Imperious Perfect -1 Reclamation Sage

  • GW Company - Pretty close matchup, you might bring in removal but I think just staying faster works in this matchup. Sideboard +1 Elvish Champion -1 Reclamation Sage

  • Jeskai Control - You basically win if you're going first. Try to get your stuff down before your opponent is ahead. +2 Shapers' Sanctuary +1 Choke -2 Imperious Perfect -1 Reclamation Sage

  • UW Control - They have less spot removal, so you just need to be fast before the sweepers get involved. +1 Choke -1 Reclamation Sage

  • UR Breach - Play like you're playing against jeskai control. Try to be faster than it. Sideboard in +2 Shapers' Sanctuary +1 Choke -2 Imperious Perfect -1 Reclamation Sage

  • Bogles - Great matchup for you, you're pretty much just faster - only problem is if opponent gets lifelink. Sideboard in +1 Reclamation Sage +1 Elvish Champion -2 Imperious Perfect

  • Infect - It's a close one but you can race them. Try to block the blockable one if you can and about the only matchup I'd switch out Chord of Callings for because they're too slow. Sideboard in +3 Dismember +1 Elvish Champion -3 Chord of Calling -1 Imperious Perfect

  • Jund - Bad matchup for the same reason Mardu Pyromancer is bad. Losing your stuff before playing it is bad. +2 Dismember +2 Shapers' Sanctuary -3 Imperious Perfect -1 Reclamation Sage

Sideboard Notes

You usually side out Imperious Perfect first before anything else. You don't want to take out too much stuff or your elf deck stops doing the thing it's meant to do.

  • Damping Sphere vs Tron & Combo Decks (ie Storm)
  • Elvish Champion vs Any deck with forests
  • Essence Warden vs Aggro & any deck that makes lots of tokens/creatures
  • Dismember vs Decks with 1 or 2 must remove creatures (ie Meddling Mage in Humans)
  • Reclamation Sage vs Affinity or must remove enchantments/artifacts
  • Scavenging Ooze vs Hollow One/Vengevine/anything where graveyard matters
  • Shapers' Sanctuary vs decks with spot removal
  • Choke vs Control or anything playing islands

Other sideboard considerations: Heroic Intervention, Pithing Needle, Grafdigger's Cage, Relic of Progenitus, more artifact/enchantment hate. Kind of dependent on your meta. I'm considering switching out Vines of Vastwood or Guttural Response (although the look on a blue players face when I counter their spell while playing mono green is just hilarious).

Deck Results

  • 3-3, 13th place (out of 40) at Galaxy Comics PPTQ Aug 18 (Wins vs Bogles, Jeskai Control, Humans. Losses vs Jund, UR Breach, Infect)

  • 4-2, 12th place (out of 37) at A Muse N Games PPTQ Aug 5 (Wins vs Humans (twice), UR Breach, GW Company. Losses to Humans (once), Mardu Pyromancer)

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Date added 5 years
Last updated 5 years
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

3 - 0 Mythic Rares

22 - 5 Rares

5 - 8 Uncommons

12 - 2 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.14
Tokens Elf Warrior 1/1 G
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